How to Start a Dog Breeding Business:Steps to Follow

Dog breeding business is a lucrative venture though it may be demanding in terms of time and effort and will also require some financial investment, but before you can start making money from breeding dogs it is very important that you have a good grasp of the processes involve in how to start a dog breeding business.

How to start a of dog breeding business.

Dog breeding business can be hugely rewarding and can provide a constant source of income but it requires a lot of patience, commitment, effort and time to evolve your love for dogs into a truly profitable venture.

The foremost step on how to start a dog breeding business is learning how to become a dog breeder.

This will involve far more than just acquiring a female and a male dog and getting them together to mate in order to produce pups. In order to be a successful in dog breeding you must acquire the necessary knowledge to become an expert in dog breeding.

Perhaps the most challenging part of starting a dog breeding business is the amount of research and knowledge that you will require about dogs and breeding before you can get into the business of making money from dog breeding.

To become a successful dog breeder it is very important that you have the knowledge of different dog breeds, temperament, history, genetics, dog breeding techniques, pedigree, and how to care for the dam and the pups among other things.

It is very easy to think that you have acquired enough knowledge and then you rush into breeding dogs but your success as a dog breeder is going to be judge by the quality of dogs that you breed and it will take some years before this reality starts to show up, basically as your pups grow into adulthood.

Therefore if you fail in this regard, then you should expect your business to be hurt by it.

Success in dog breeding is a simple equation: you have to become a professional and an ethical breeder. If you are driven entirely by the desire to make money from dog breeding, then you cannot be an ethical breeder and therefore success will be a struggle.

You should know that being an ethical breeder does not mean you will not make good money; on the contrary you will make a lot of money. However the price that you will pay for being an ethical breeder can be expressed in one word: patience.

How to start a dog breeding business begins with having a thorough understanding of what it takes to become a professional dog breeder. This is very important because the business aspect of dog breeding will fail woefully if you fail as a dog breeder.

Therefore this article will cover what is required to become a successful breeder and then the business aspect of it.

If you want to start a dog breeding business it is very unlikely that you will intend to pursue this ambition with a male dog because it is the owner of a female dog that can be considered a dog breeder. This means that having a female dog is the very first step in your journey to making money by breeding dogs.

However this is not to say that you cannot be a breeder if you only have a male dog but it just does not put you in the commanding position you should be as a dog breeder who wishes to make a business out of dog breeding.

In fact if you intend to make money from dog breeding as a full time job, then you should have both the female and the male dog that you will use in breeding. Otherwise you should research for an ideal stud to mate with your female dog and then get in touch with the owner.

Some important facts to bear in mind regarding dogs to be employed for breeding

The dogs that will be involve in breeding that is the dam (female dog) and the stud (male dog) must pass a thorough health check.

The larger the dog breed, the larger the number of puppies in a litter. The average for large dogs is around 12-15 puppies and a world record of 24 puppies was delivered by a mastiff.

Ensure that you pay attention to the weight of the dogs i.e. you should make sure that the dogs are about the same weight. For instance if you mate a big size male dog with a much smaller female dog, the female dog may have difficulty in delivery because the pup may be a little too big for her.

Also if the dam is overweight it will increase the probabilities of producing smaller litters because she will not be able to produce as many eggs and if she is under weight she will end up producing few puppies that will be smaller in size.

You should equally pay attention to the diet of the dogs particularly the dam before, during and after pregnancy.

The following are expected of a professional dog breeder

A professional breeder will have a breed focus; this may be one or two breeds but will he usually start out with a focus on one specific breed.

The breeder will position himself or herself as an expert on the breed, the go-to-person on the breed. How much knowledge he has on the breed will play a vital role on how successful he will be with the breed.

Successful breeders pay a great deal of attention to the health of their dog and this includes the dog food; they do not cut corner by feeding their dog cheap and low quality food.

A professional breeder knows that one of the primary objectives of dog breeding is “breeding to improve the breed” and always strive to achieve this objective with every successive generation of the breed.

Professional breeders will have a written contract that protects all sides involve in the transaction by clearly stating what is expected of all parties to the agreement.

Professional and ethical breeders are not driven purely by the love for money but the love for dogs and so they are not in a great hurry to sell off their pups. They wait for them to develop mentally and stay around with their mom for about 8-9 weeks before selling them; this time frame make it easier for the pups to adjust better to their new homes.

If dog breeding is well regulated in the country of the breeder with established kennel club (e.g. American kennel club), then the proper thing is to get register. This will give credibility to the breeder and makes it easier to market and sell his dogs. Some people not even buy from breeders who do not have the kennel club registration.

A professional breeder who is not breeding solely for the purpose of making money but also have the love of the dogs at heart will still be available to the new owners of the pups even after sale.

Heat cycle of the female dog and the breeding techniques

Part of the nuts and bolt required for a successful dog breeder is a thorough understanding of the heat cycle of the female dog. The estrous (heat) cycle of the female dog persist for the entire life of the dog and unlike humans it does not come to a halt. Canine pregnancy last for 9 weeks.

Many experts on canine reproduction including Dr. Robert Van Hutchison, Dr. Threlfall of Ohio State University and Dr. Billinghurst in his book grow your pup with bones all agree that it is much healthier to breed your bitch and not miss a heat cycle i.e. you should breed your bitch every single heat cycle. While this may sound counter intuitive, this conclusion is based on scientific finding.

2 thoughts on “How to Start a Dog Breeding Business:Steps to Follow”

You should alywas go to a breeders land or home. This way, you can look around the whelping or kennel areas to see how the pups or the dogs were raised and lived. If you go to a true breeders home, they will usually ask you exactly what you are looking for in teh dog. If you want a family dog or companion. If you want a protection dog or a show dog. Are you interested in a strong willed dog or a pack member dog. Upon giving your description, they will usually suggest one or two dogs specifically for you but will inform you of other options if you are willing to bend your wishes. At this time, you should request to see the dogs ONE AT A TIME. Any dog can be courageous when in a pack but it is when they are left alone with you that you see the true innate character. Here, one at a time, you can see if the dog is shy or bashfull or eager and happy and playfull. What you want is up to you. Asking to see the parents is a very big plus. You can see if there are any visual problems that may have been genetically passed on to the offspring. Be aware though, not all breeders have both the mother and father of the dogs. Sometimes, studs are brought in from other homes or kennels or they might have artificially inseminated the bitch. When you ask about he parents, see the breeders reaction. If they turn happy or eager you know they were happy with the breeding and with teh combination of mother and father. If they don't, you might want to ask more detailed information such as working background, show backgrounds, conformation, titles, etc.. After deciding which dog you are interested in, next comes the talk about papers. Paperwork is important for many reasons but most of all, because with a registration, you can prove the dog is yours if for what ever reason there is ever a dispute. You will want to ask what kennel club the dogs are registered with as well as request a pedigree on teh dog where you can see at least three generations (parent/grandparent/great grandparents). You do this to see if any linebreedign was done as well as to see the background of the dog. After and only after looking at the pedigree and looking at the dog do I discuss prices for the dogs. Depending on the age, breed, pedigree of the dog, prices can be a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars. From here, the one thing you WANT to leave with is, obviously the dog, but also the registration paperwork that needs to be sent in to transfer ownership of the dog. Kind of like when you sell or buy a used car, you transfer the pink slip to someone else by signing it over same concept. Afterwords, enjoy your new family member.